The authors have written an ambitious review of the pathophysiologic and therapeutic considerations in the seriously ill. They have assembled a clearly written and adequately referenced update on a rapidly developing area of health care delivery. The text is divided into four sections: general management, specific management, investigative facilities and drug requirements, and, finally, monitoring, computer applications, and instrumentation. The reader must often search in different portions of the book to review, for example, cardiac problems, which diminishes the book's value as a reference volume. The final two sections add breadth, but will not interest most clinicians.
The scope of the book is extraordinarily broad. The emergency management of organ system failure, infection, injuries, metabolic disorders, and poisoning, as well as administrative considerations in an intensive care unit, are presented. The succinct chapters on injuries, respiratory physiology, disorders of body temperature regulation, and obstetrical problems will be valuable to the